Stay Lost on Our Way Home
by PikachuGirlXx
Summary: It's getting late, and I... cannot seem to find my way home, tonight. Feels like I am falling down an endless hole, falling for forever. But I don't think I have to fall alone. What would life be like? If I had no power, just an endless line that, we'd follow forever. I hope they never leave me, to travel alone... should we... stay lost, on our way home?
1. Chapter 1

I stumbled in the darkness that was my house, coughing again. I had a bad fever, when I got sick it was the worst, my senses where very high thanks to the nine tails, so I felt everything times ten. The nausea, the head aches, the stomach aches... where are my parents? Why is it so hot? My vision blurred as I tripped and hit my arm on a doorway.

"Mom?" I breathed, inhaling what tasted like smoke and ash. I coughed and a violent sneeze came after. I rubbed my eyes. Looking around, everything was red or black. What was wrong with my vision? "Dad?" Another violent cough ripped through me. I wished I wasn't as sick as I was, I could go and play with Gaara, he was visiting with his dad. My legs gave out and I fell forward onto the cool ground, the air felt cleaner down here so I took in a few quick breaths before crawling along the ground. I felt around for a door, when I found one I grabbed a door knob, it burned my hand at the touch. I twisted it and pushed the door open, stumbling outside the Hokage's tower where I lived. I fell again, rolling across the grass.

I looked over at my house, I had never been out of my house. I've only looked out the windows, played with the people who entered. I could see now it was on fire. My eyes widened a bit and I coughed again, throwing up on the cool ground next to me. I looked around, the rest of Konoha, the place I had always looked through from the windows, was up in flames as well. People were running around and screaming, no one seemed to notice that I was lying motionless on the ground, I was to sick to move, my body felt heavy and my head was cloudy. I breathed in some fresh air, closing my eyes. The light from the moon was blocked then. Someone was looming over me. I opened my eyes. My face was met with a black robe and red clouds. I pushed myself up, the persons face just barley lit in the moon light.

"Who are you?" I muttered. Then they reached down and picked me up, holding me close and walking quickly. "Wha-what's? Who?" I stuttered, still not fully aware of what was happening. I heard shouting, it sounded like my mom.

"Naruko!" She yelled. "Naruko! Where are you!?"

"Naruko!" My dad was yelling too.

"Mom..." I coughed, a hand was put over my mouth.

"Don't talk." A bored voice said. I looked at the red haired man who was carrying me. He looked like he was from the sand.

After a while I heard something else.

"I can take it from here." A familiar voice said, I was passed off, I looked up.

"Itachi, what's going on?" I coughed a few times before groaning at my pained throat. I had seen Itachi before, he came in often when I played in my dads office. He's a great shinobi, or so I've heard. I felt Itachi stop.

I looked up at him, following his gaze over my shoulder to see a boy standing in front of us. I recognized him too. He never came in to my dads office, but I saw his photo while my dad did filing. Uchiha Sasuke. He was Itachi's brother. Sasuke was my age, around 7. I was six, he was older, I coughed again, moaning as my head throbbed. Sasuke's eyes darted to me, his eyes went wide.

"The Hokage's daughter..." He muttered.

"I'm sick..." I responded, it was easier to speak now that the air was cleaner. Itachi knelt down in front of Sasuke; Sasuke jumped back a bit, my eyes were leveled with his.

"Take her and hide." Itachi said as he set me down on the ground. Sasuke looked confused, then Itachi disappeared. I coughed again.

"Uh, hey! Are you okay?" Sasuke crouched down beside me. I couldn't talk, I kept coughing. "Hey! Stay awake!" Sasuke shook me, but his voice was fading. I shook my head weakly and everything went black.

I woke up, it was cold under me. Someone was singing.

"_-Don't you dare look out your window, darling everything's on fire._

_The war outside the door is raging on._

_Hold on._

_To this,_

_Lullaby._

_Even when the music's-_

_Gone._

_Gone..."_ The voice was soft and somewhere beside me. There was something cold and wet on my head, it was clearing up my senses. I reached a hand idly out, feeling for something that I could grab. "Oh, you're awake." The voice said again. I got up and stood, I felt dizzy and fell back onto the cool surface from before. "Don't stand up to fast. Idiot." The voice sighed, I opened my eyes fully now, I looked over to see Sasuke.

"Was that you singing?" I asked. Sasuke blushed a bit.

"My mom, she used to sing when I was sick." he said. I nodded, then I looked around, it was dark and small, the room we were in. Bars made up one of the walls.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"We were caught..." Sasuke grumbled. I looked around.

"Well, my mom and dad should come for us soon. Don't worry." I smiled. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"It's been three days..." He said.

"what!?"

"I managed to hide you, but three days ago, we were found."

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

"A week." Sasuke said.

I stared at the cell's ceiling. A week... I'd been out for a week. I stood up and went to the bars.

"What are they gonna do to us?" I asked.

"Us? You mean to you." Sasuke said, staring at the wall.

"Me?"

"Yes, you are the Jinchuriki right?" He asked, I nodded. They wanted me... no, they wanted Kyuubi. That would kill me... And I doubt they'd let Sasuke go either.

"Sasuke... it's gonna be fine. They won't get us!" I turned and smiled, the sickness from all those days fading slowly.

"What are you talking about? Stupid girl." Sasuke muttered, glaring a bit.

"Fine! I'll escape all on my own!" I stuck out my tongue, talking in a hushed voice. I started walking around. I felt Sasuke's curious eyes following me around the room. I felt the wall, knocking in different places.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked. I ignored him. "Hn. Stupid girl." Sasuke muttered under his breath. I found a hollow spot.

"Right!" I said, gathering chakra into my fist and punching at the wall. It cracked and broke a bit. Sasuke walked up behind me.

"Oh look, you made a tiny hole." he mocked.

"No one asked you." I hissed. He smirked and walked back to the other side of the room. I heard some scuffling behind the wall.

"Hello? Who's over there?" A voice asked. I smiled at the familiar sound.

"Gaa-chan!"

I pressed my ear to the wall.

"Naruko?" The voice came again.

"Yeah it's me! Help me break the wall!" I whispered.

"I can do it, stand back, okay?"

"Okay, go ahead." I ran back to were Sasuke was.

"Who's over there?" Sasuke asked. Before I could answer, there was sand pouring through the fist sized hole I had made. It came faster each time, pushing the wall open. My friend let his sand go back into his gourd. He was standing in a gray shirt with the number one on it, he had gray pants and black shoes. His red hair was covered in sand, like it normally was and he was dragging his bear along side him. I looked at my own clothes, I had the same outfit, only with the number nine on it.

"Who's that?" Sasuke asked.

"Gaa-chan! They caught you too?" I asked. Gaara shrugged. He never was one to say what was on his mind.

"He looks like he's four." Sasuke muttered, I elbowed him.

"And you look like a coward." Gaara said in his own monotone voice. Sasuke stuck out his tongue. "So what were you trying to da anyway?" Gaara looked back at me.

"Escaping. Gaa-chan, they're gonna kill us if we stay..." I muttered.

"I see... I shall assist you then." Gaara nodded to himself.

"I'm already helping her." Sasuke said, standing next to me.

"You are?" I muttered.

"Yea I am." He hissed in my ear. Gaara looked between us.

"Very well." He said. The three of us sat in a circle. Planning for our escape.


	2. Chapter 2

There was knocking on the wall as we tried to work out our escape plan.

"Yo! Are those little kids I hear over there?" A voice said. I went to open my mouth when Sasuke covered it. I looked at him and he shook his head. I nodded and he let me go.

"Yes, we are children." Gaara spoke. Sasuke glared, his big black eyes narrowing. The voice spoke again.

"Why don't I come over there, fools, little fools." The voice sung as the wall cracked a bit and then pushed open. A boy, in his teens, was standing with his arms crossed, his sun glasses shone in the dim light and he smiled. "Looks like I wasn't the only one who got, got." He said, smiling at us three. His shirt had the number eight on it.

"The eight tails?" I asked.

"The one and only! I never thought the number nine would be so puny." He chuckled. I crossed my arms and pouted. "So! Fools, little fools, why don't I join you in your plan of escape?" He asked.

"Shh! Geez, you're so loud." Sasuke growled.

"What's going on down here?" There was a voice and some footsteps.

"The guard." Sasuke said, pushing Gaara back into his cell. The eight tails jumped back to his cell.

"Gaa-chan!" I hissed, he nodded and walls of sand replaced the broken holes that connected the three cells. Sasuke pushed me back onto the bed.

"Shh! Don't move, they still think you're sick." He muttered. I nodded and closed my eyes.

I could feel Sasuke beside me, Gaara's sand floating around my hand and the teen in the next room was snoring.

"What's all this ruckus." The guard snapped.

"Me trying to get the heck out of here." Sasuke grumbled. The guard let out an amused snort. There was some silence.

"Hey! One tails." I tensed when Gaara let his sand fall from my hand. "You're next on the list." I heard the guard open Gaara's cell. Sasuke remained motionless. I heard heavy footsteps. "Oh, vicious, aren't we?" That told me Gaara tried to defend himself.

"Unhand me." Gaara's unchanging voice was louder, he was closer, then it was fading. I shot up.

"Don't!" Sasuke warned me, but I slammed myself through the sand wall and out the open cell.

"Gaa-chan!" I shouted, my tiny legs running down the hall. The man turned around, he was blue with blue hair and a black robe with red clouds.

"The Nine Tails." He smirked. I stopped, ready to fight. "Oh? Is this your friend?" He laughed, holding out Gaara, who now had chakra concealing hand cuffs

"Let him go!" I demanded.

"Or what?"

"Or... or!" I felt tears welling up, I didn't know what to do, I had spent my whole life, protected by the safety of the Hokage's tower. Protected by my father and mother. I didn't know how to make it on my own.

"Or, what?" The blue man asked. I fell to my knees.

"Or... nothing..." I bowed. "Take me instead. Just leave Gaa-chan." I asked.

Silence, then,

"Is that so..." there was a thud. I looked and Gaara was lying weakly on the ground. I felt something cold around my neck. I felt it, my chakra started to fade. I fell forward.

"Naruko..." Gaara was facing me.

"I'll be fine." I smiled at my best friend. Then I glanced back, Sasuke was peeking out of the bars, a look of conflict on his face. I smiled at him. "I'll be alright." I said, a bit louder. Then the blue man picked me up and I felt him carry me up the stairs, away from Gaara away from Sasuke and away from the eight tails. To my inevitable death.

The light was blinding. We were in a cave and light was pouring in from the entrance. There were people standing around a large statue, among them I saw Itachi, his eyes met mine.

"I thought the Nine Tails was last." He said in a calm voice.

"Well get this, the brat practically begged me to take her in place of her friend!" He laughed, I glared at the ground.

"Very well then. We already have the seven tails, the six tails, the five tails, the four tails, the three tails and the two tails. Might as well get one of the stronger out of the way before we finish." A dark figure spoke. All of them... all of the Jinchuriki... was that why there was no other noise? Was that why there were only four of us left in the cells when I woke up? I yelped as I was thrown forward, skidding on the ground in front of the people. I looked up at Itachi, who was coming down to put me in place. He picked me up and muttered something.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"It's fine, you tried to help me escape. That night, I'll remember it for the rest of my life." I said, knowing my life was going to end short now, but I would never forget it. He tensed. Then whispered again.

"I'm going to unlock your neck brace, you need to summon the Nine tails some how..." I nodded, it was still a while as we climbed the stairs. I concentrated.

_I felt as if I was floating in a lake._

"_Nine Tails." I thought, but it came out of my mouth. I opened my eyes and I was floating in about an inch of water, I pushed myself up, I wasn't wet at all. I shook my head and walked down the hall I was in. "Nine tails?" I asked, poking my blonde head around a corner. I was met with a red paw. It scratched at my legs, I screeched and jumped back. I fell and looked forward to see a small fox with nine tails. It looked no older than that small white dog I saw that one time. _

"_Back off!" The little muzzle snarled. I stood, the fox came up to my knee, it growled at me. I reached forward a bit and it snapped at my hand._

"_Are... are you the nine tails?" I asked, I had pictured him bigger..._

"_I am!" He said, trying to stand tall._

"_But you're so tiny!" I said._

"_So are you!" The fox huffed._

"_But I'm only six. I have to be small." I explained._

"_I'm only 106. That's 6 in your human years. I AM bigger, it's just... complicated." The nine tails explained in a high pitched voice._

"_Wow... well, I need your help!" I said. The nine tails paced around, looking at me every now and then. I took this opportunity to look around. There was a large stake in the middle of the room, it had a large chain that led to a collar around the nine tail's neck. The collar said- 'Kyuubi' on it._

"_What?" Kyuubi asked when he saw me staring._

"_Nothing... you'll help me right?" I asked. Kyuubi sat and scratched at his ear with his back __leg._

"_I guess so..." He muttered. "Come here, girl." I walked over to him and he pounced up and bit my arm._

"_Ow!" I screeched._

"_Relax." Kyuubi forced past his teeth. I sat still and felt power coursing through my veins. "I guess you're not so bad. That's a bit of power. Use it wisely, you may come anytime. It's rather lonely in here." He said, then his voice faded as I felt consciousness pouring back into me._

I opened my eyes, I was strapped down now. I looked below me and the people from earlier were getting into their places. I felt my neck brace loosely hanging, but not so anyone would notice. I shook it off and pulled at the shackles.

"Quickly!" Someone demanded as I felt Kyuubi's power pouring back to me. I ripped at the shackles again, bringing my arms together as the statue behind me cracked and broke with my new found strength, I found an animal like snarl rising up and out as I growled at the people who tried to approach me. The shackles around my wrists and legs connected to large rocks that were holding my tiny body back a bit. My vision was tinted red, my whiskers like scars now actual whiskers and my teeth and nails were pointed into sharp edges. "Get her! Start the extraction!" the voice from before demanded. Everyone did a hand sign and I felt my power draining again. Only it was painful. I screamed and fell to my knees, writhing in pain as I felt something being pulled away.

I kicked and screamed before an explosion came up from where the stairs were.

"Naruko!" I felt the pulling stop. I breathed heavily and looked to the side. Sasuke was standing there with Gaara and the eight tails. I coughed up some blood, still feeling weak. Sasuke looked angry at the pain I was in. His eyes flashed and then turned into a swirling red and black. The eight tails was sitting on octopus like tentacles and Gaara was surrounded with sand.

"I'll hold them off! Get outta here! Fools! Little fools!" The eight tails yelled. I felt sand lift me up and pull me to the three as the eight tails jumped in front of us.

"I'm Killer Bee, by the way." He smirked.

"Thank you." I smiled. Sasuke tugged on Gaara's shirt.

"Let's get going." He said. Gaara nodded and they ran, I was floating on a could of sand behind them.

Itachi was at the entrance, waiting. He stared at us and Sasuke stepped up. He was glaring daggers at Itachi.

"I can handle this!" Sasuke boasted.

"Sasuke..." I muttered. Itachi looked around.

"Go." He said.

"W-what?" Sasuke and I stuttered.

"He said go. So let's go." Gaara stated, running past Itachi with a hesitant Sasuke on his heels. My cloud was pulled behind them.

"Thank you." I smiled at Itachi before I was carried away. He nodded and rushed back to fight or help out Bee.

We made it a little ways into the forest when we heard an explosion. We turned and saw a fire coming from the cave we had escaped.

"Bee!" I yelled, jumping down from the cloud of sand. I stopped at a tree and a piece of fabric floated into my face. I pulled it off and looked at it. My eyes filling with tears.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"Naruko?" Gaara muttered. I turned and held it out, showing my friends the ripped and charred '#8" from Bee's shirt.


	3. Chapter 3

We had been walking for a while now. No real location, just hoping we would find someone and they'd tell us how to get home. I kept glancing back, hoping that Bee would be running behind us yelling- "Wait up! Fools! Little fools!" in that annoying sing song voice of his. I looked down at the eight that I had tied around my wrist.

"Don't be sad..." Gaara said. I looked up at him.

"Yeah, It was his choice Naruko. He would have wanted us to keep going." Sasuke cut in. Gaara nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I sighed I took the fabric from around my wrist. Sasuke stuck a stick in the ground and Gaara put some big rocks around it to keep it in place. I smiled, tying the fabric to the stick so it flowed in the wind. We had a moment of silence, then we continued.

We came to a town. It looked run down and destroyed.

"Where are we?" I asked, Gaara and Sasuke both shrugged.

"I've never left the village..." Sasuke muttered, looking at the building that were falling apart. Gaara was surprised as well.

"I've only ever been to Konoha." He said. We started into the town.

"Maybe someone here will help us..." I said as Sasuke stumbled and bumped into me. I turned. "Sasuke?" I asked.

"No, it's fine." He coughed a bit. I looked at his face, it was pale, paler than usual. I felt his forehead. It was hot.

"Gaa-chan!" I called, Gaara turned around and walked back quickly.

"What?" He asked.

"Sasuke's sick..." I muttered. Sasuke shook his head.

"I'm fine." He gagged.

"Let's walk some more, if we find a house we can stop." Gaara said, picking up Sasuke on a cloud of sand. We started walking.

How did Sasuke get so sick? I looked back as he coughed violently again. I thought about it.

"That's right!" I gasped.

"What?" Gaara asked.

"I was sick... Sasuke was with me until I was better. We've been in the same room, he must have caught what I had." I muttered. "Sorry Sasuke, this is my fault..." I turned to him. He looked weak and coughed a little. I kicked at the ground. Then I looked up, night was falling. We still hadn't found a place to rest.

"Over there!" Gaara said loudly. I looked over, pulled from thought and saw a small candle that was lit in a window. Gaara and I peeked through the window. There was a boy, around 10, sitting by himself, he was eating a meal at a table. He glanced up, seeing Gaara and I. He came to the window.

"Who're you guys?" He asked.

"I'm-" I stopped when his gaze narrowed on out numbered shirts.

"Jinchuriki..." He muttered.

"Please! My friend's sick." I motioned to Sasuke. The boy shook his head.

"No can do girly. Get lost!" He snapped. "I'm not gonna get caught cause of you guys!" he closed the window.

The next day, the boy opened the door to his shed where we were laying with Sasuke, who had gotten even sicker over night.

"Really?" The boy sighed.

"I- uh.. I'm Naruko!" I said. "This is Gaara, and this is Sasuke." I said.

"I'm Sora." The boy yawned, then he looked at Sasuke. "Whoa, he is sick! You weren't kidding, I have some medicine, follow me." he motioned. Gaara and I walked into the house, carefully bringing Sasuke to the bed Sora led us to. Sora tapped his foot after he gave Sasuke the medicine. He looked back at us. "You guys hungry? I have some extra food." He said. I nodded.

"Thank you!" I smiled. Gaara nodded in thanks and we left to eat.

At the table, Sora spoke.

"So, where are you three from?" He asked.

"Gaa-chan is from the sand." I said.

"I see... you and Sasuke are too?"

"No."

"Then how did you guys meet up?"

"I'm the Hokage's daughter, Gaa-chan is the Kazekage's son, they interact a lot so Gaa-chan was in Konoha at the time. Sasuke lives in the village and helped me out." I said, Sora nodded.

"Wait, at what time?" He asked.

"When those people attacked..." Naruko remembered her flaming house, her parents screaming for her, the village in panic.

"Ah yes.. the Akutsuki..." Sora muttered.

"The who?" I asked as Sora stood to check on Sasuke.

"A band of missing ninja. They're gather the Jinchuriki, seeing that you only have two people with you I guess they got 8-2." Sora muttered.

He disappeared into the room. Then he rushed out.

"We need a doctor!" He said.

We all went in to look at Sasuke. He was breathing hard.

"How did he get this sick?" Gaara asked.

"He caught the cold from me... but the nine tails brought the fever up..." I muttered. Sora shook his head.

"No, no, no. Naruko! That's not how it works... The demon should bring the fever down! Sasuke got the actual impact... If it was bad for you... it's deadly for him." Sora explained.

"What?!" I gasped. "Sasuke? Hey! Wake up!" I yelled as Sora walked around.

"Okay, I'll need to hide you two... the best doctor I can think of right now is Konan, but she's in Akutsuki..."

"May I ask how you know so much, Sora-san?" Gaara asked.

"I'll tell you later." Sora said. "Follow me." He said. I nodded at Gaara, who placed his bear in his gourd and followed after Sora.

It was crowded and stuffy. The room Sora had made with an earth jutsu. I stood, chest pressed to Gaara's, in the cramped space while Sora conversed with the Akutsuki members. I looked through a small crack. A woman with blue hair, the blue skinned man, and a man with a mask. Gaara gave me the sign to keep quiet. He muttered to me.

"Don't worry, they won't recognize Sasuke... he's not a Jinchuriki and Sora dyed his hair before he called for them." He said. I nodded, peeking out again. They were talking, I listened intently.

"Well, I've done all I could. He should be fine within the week." The blue haired woman was saying.

"You sure you haven't seen three brats kid?" The blue man asked.

"Three who?" Sora played innocent.

"Three kids, a boy and two Jinchuriki. One of them was the nine tails..." The blue man loomed over Sora.

"I just found this guy passed out outside my house. No one else was there." Sora shrugged, grabbing a cup of juice from his fridge

"I see... well, that's okay Sora. We'll be going now, come along, Kisame, Tobi." The woman, who must have been Konan called as the trio left. Sora breathed out when they were gone. He opened the wall where we were hidden and Gaara and I came tumbling out. Sora looked down at us.

"Now, I think the insomniac wanted to know how I knew so much?" Sora said, looking to Gaara.

Sora explained how he had been mistaken for the Nine tails because of his slight connection he had with the demon.

"Wow! You know Kyuubi too?" I asked. Sora nodded.

"Yeah, they let me go after I agreed to help capture the Jinchuriki, But why would I do that?" He laughed, shaking his head. "Ah well, anyway. It's late, you guys should get some rest. We need to stay out of Sasuke's room, he'll be contagious until tomorrow." Sora said. Then he walked off to his room. "You guys can crash on the couch. Night." And with that. The door was closed.

Later, I laid side by side with Gaara.

"Gaa-chan?" I asked my always awake friend.  
"Yes?" He replied.

"Do you think we'll get home alive?" I asked. There was a long silence,

"I... don't know." He admitted, I moved closer, glancing u pat Sasuke's room where a small cough came out.

"I'm scared..." I said.

"I am too, and I'm sure Sasuke is as well."

"Oh..." I yawned.

"Go to sleep." Gaara demanded.

"Yeah." I said, drifting off and finally falling into a dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

I yawned, hoping I would wake up in my bed, that I would eat breakfast with mom then do my studying. Then play around in my dads office while he did work. That this whole ordeal was just a bad dream that Gaara would shake his head at when I told him. But sadly, I felt the pain of the extraction. I felt the sickness, I felt the not-so-comfy couch and I felt Gaara walking about the room impatiently. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling.

"Rise and shine!" Sora yawned, coming out of his room. He was fully dressed.

"He woke up a while ago." Gaara explained. I nodded. Sora nodded his head at the closed door.

"Sasuke shouldn't be contagious anymore..." He said I opened the door.

"Sasuke?" I looked in and saw him asleep, his hair was dyed white but it looked light purple, his sweat probably making the dye run.

Sasuke was asleep and breathing regularly.

"Sasuke?" I repeated.

"Hn..." The boy groaned, opening his eyes. "What happened?"

"You were sick! Well, you still are."

"Where are we?"

"This is Sora's house."

"I see... we need to get moving." Sasuke rolled over and set his feet on the ground.

"You can't go anywhere." I turned and saw Sora leaning against the door frame.

"Says who?" Sasuke coughed.

"Says the Akutsuki agent that's combing this area." Sora snapped.

"What? I thought you threw them off!" I said.

"I'm not the best liar." Sora shrugged.

"They might search this place more thoroughly..." Gaara walked in next. I nodded. Sasuke scowled. Sora sighed.

"You're a strange bunch of kids." He muttered.

Sora was sitting at the table later, planning out a way for the trio to escape. Naruko was sitting on the couch with Sasuke, who insisted he was well enough to move around. Naruko glanced through a crack in the boarded up window.

"What do you thinks going on in Konoha?" She asked, Sasuke sat forward.

"Obviously your dad beat whoever attacked the village." Sasuke yawned. Naruko looked over, remembering that night she met Sasuke in that most unfortunate way.

"Oh yeah, what were you doing out anyway?" I asked him. If I remember, it was really late at night.

"...Itachi..." Sasuke grumbled.

"What about Itachi?" I asked.

"He... killed them." Sasuke stuttered. I cocked my head to the side. Not quite understanding what he was saying. Sasuke glanced at me. "My brother, Itachi, killed the Uchiha clan that night, I was on my way in pursuit of him when He left you with me." Sasuke explained with a painful edge. I nodded.

"Why didn't you just keep chasing Itachi?" I asked. "You wouldn't have got caught..." I muttered.

"You were... sick and... weak... and, I guess, you were more important at the time..." Sasuke muttered, looking away from me. I smiled.

"Thank you, Sasuke!" I jumped off the couch. "We'll get back to Konoha and I'll play with you everyday! So you won't be lonely!" I beamed. Sasuke smiled back.

"Yeah!" he said, coughing a bit after.

It was getting late, Gaara had spent the day watching the surroundings with his sand eye. Sora had been planning and Sasuke had been resting. He looked a lot better now, Soar thinks he might be ready for travel. I grabbed one of the three bags, Sora filled them with food that wouldn't spoil and other necessities. I flung one over my back and Gaara got his strapped on his gourd. Sasuke put his on his back and Sora looked away from the window.

"Okay." he said. "Don't use any chakra! Go straight out the back door and continue south until you reach a forest. Then head into the forest and go east, you should be out of this run down town in an hour or so if you keep to that path." He explained. I nodded along with Gaara and Sasuke. "I'll bring you to the forest. But you guys are on your own from there." Sora said. We nodded again as he led us out the door into the night.

There were people all over. They were all white as snow with green hair. Sora pushed us all forward so we'd stop staring. We made it to the forest.

""this is where we split." Sora smiled. "Good luck, Naruko, Sasuke, Gaara." He shook each of our hands.

"Good luck to you too." Gaara nodded. We turned and Sora pointed at the dark path ahead of us.

"Just keep following that path and-" Sora stopped when Sasuke started coughing. I patted his back.

"Shh, Sasuke." I muttered, Sasuke halted in his coughing, then started up again, he gagged and ended up throwing up on the ground. I stepped back.

"I thought he was better..." Gaara muttered.

"I knew this would be too much moving..." Sora sighed.

"I'm f-" Sasuke threw up again.

"This way, I heard a noise." A voice said. Sora panicked.

"They're coming!" he said.

"Sasuke... are you alright?" I asked, feeling his head. He was burning up, not as much as the first time, but he still had a bad fever.

"Well, well, well." A voice chuckled. We turned and saw one of the pale men standing and smirking at us. "Look what I found."

The man looked at us and I can only imagine what he saw. Two small Jinchuriki, a sickly boy, and an orphan half demon. I shrunk back.

"Sora, you sneaky brat. Looks like the deals off, we shall take your demon too." the man smirked, Sora winced. "Unless, you hand them in." Sora looked at us. I looked down.

"I won't blame you if you do Sora... you tried your-"

"I will not!" Sora challenged.

"Sora?" I looked up and he was standing in front of us.

"Hey, Naruko, you know we have a physic connection." He said. "I can always hear when you need help." He smirked.

"Sora..." I stood next to him. "I'll fight too!"

"Then I shall assist." Gaara stood tall. The man scowled, then attacked.

We were getting badly beaten, Sasuke was leaning against a tree, unable to fight. I dodged another punch and sung low, missing, Sora got in a few hits, but they didn't do much, Gaara tried to hold the man down, but his sand was broken away each time. We were getting badly beaten.

"What now?" I asked Sora when I rolled next to him.

"We, no, you need to run." He huffed.

"I agree." Gaara said, turning to us.

"What about you?" I asked.

"I'll come to the end of the forest." Sora said. I nodded. He sighed, grabbing my hand and running along side Gaara. Sora stopped and scooped up Sasuke, flinging him over his shoulder. We ran into the forest, hearing the army of those identical men on our heels. I looked back.

"Don't slow down, Naruko." Gaara said, I nodded, and ran faster into the darkness of the forest.

We ran out of the forest. It was a road, we had lost the army a little ways back. But they were sure to catch up with us at any moment. We took a breath. I looked down the road. A horse drawn carriage was steadily coming down from the far side of the road. Sora saw it and set Sasuke down.

"Hey! Stop! Oi!" He waved his hands. The horse neighed and came to a halt at the drivers orders. An old man stepped out with a boy about Sora's age.

"Who's interrupting our ride to the marathon?" The man asked. Sora huffed.

"These children. The girl and red haired boy are Jinchuriki." Sora said. The man's eyes widened. "The other boy, he's very sick." The man looked at the three of us, then back at Sora.

"What are you proposing?" He asked.

"Take them with you! Hide them until you get to where you're going!" Sora said. The man thought, staring at us all again.

"Very well..." He muttered.

Sora thanked him and loaded Sasuke into the back, me and Gaara climbing in after him.

"Sora, aren't you coming?" I asked when he stepped away from the carriage. Sora shook his head.

"No, I'll lead them off you're trail." He said. I looked sadly at the ground, not this again. This was how we lost Bee.

"No! Come with us!" I begged.

"What?"

"Please Sora! They'll kill you if you stay!" I tugged on his shirt as we heard the army catching up again. Sora looked up at me. He clicked his tongue.

"I guess, now's the best time to escape as any other." he hopped in. "But only for a short while." He sat back as the horse sped away with the carriage rocking behind, taking us farther into the night.


End file.
